How can you protect yourself from online snooping?

In the past ten days, the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers have revealed the existence of a mass surveillance programme created by the US government. These revelations confirm that journalists, bloggers and netizens need not only to circumvent censorship but also to master tools and techniques that will help shield them from mass surveillance, both in countries that are Enemies of the Internet and in the leading western democracies.

Reporters Without Borders has published an Online Survival Kit on its WefightCensorship.org website that has tools and practical advice that will allow you to protect your communications and data.

You don’t need to be an IT engineer to learn how to protect the content of your emails and remain anonymous online. The tools and techniques presented in this kit do not require advanced knowledge of computers and programming.

The Reporters Without Borders Digital Survival Kit is available in French, English, Arabic, Russian et Chinese. Published under the Creative Commons licence, its content is meant to be used freely and circulated widely.